


Can't Stop the Seasons

by beyondthesefourwalls



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 15:08:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29886417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beyondthesefourwalls/pseuds/beyondthesefourwalls
Summary: “Oh, it is so on.”And so they lost themselves in the moment, flinging snow and chasing one another through the front yard, laughter lighting up the night sky. It was after midnight and the temperatures were near freezing, yet it slowed neither of them down. When at last Carlos caught TK around the waist, hauling his body flush against his, they were both breathless and wet, fingers numb and cheeks red and hurting, not from the cold, but from the wide smiles they couldn’t tamper down.TK couldn’t remember a moment he had felt such happiness.ORA happier take on the February 2021 Texas Snowpocalypse
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Comments: 7
Kudos: 120





	Can't Stop the Seasons

**Author's Note:**

> This is probably the softest thing I have ever written. These two are going to kill me. 
> 
> Title from "Kissin' in the Cold" by Julia Michaels and JP Saxe

**Can’t Stop the Seasons**

\-----

_Time goes by and dreams get left for later  
I can't stop the seasons  
But there's one thing that I know  
We'll still be kissing in the cold_

\-----

TK woke up to an empty bed.

It wasn’t an uncommon thing by any means. He and Carlos tended to work shifts that overlapped, but never quite aligned perfectly. It wasn’t odd for one of them to wake up to the other having already started their day.

What made this an odd occurrence was the fact that tomorrow was a rare day off for both of them, a happy accident neither of them had to request for once, and also, it was still dark outside.

He came to awareness slowly, reaching out to where Carlos should be laying and finding the sheets still warm. The house was quiet, the only sounds he heard being his own breathing and the ceiling fan that Carlos always kept on to sleep, no matter the temperature outside or what the thermostat was set at inside. He lifted his head up, his bleary eyes taking a moment to adjust to the darkness surrounding him. The light to the master bathroom wasn’t on, which eliminated that option. His eyes went to the bedroom door, but he couldn’t see any lights coming in from other areas of the house. He shifted to peer on the other side of the room, finally spotting the man who should be in bed beside him standing in front of the window.

"Babe?” he asked, his voice still think with sleep, “What are you doing?”

Carlos turned slowly, almost like he didn’t want to tear his eyes away from whatever it was that had his attention out there in the world. Like it always did, TK’s heart skipped a beat at just how beautiful this man was. But his breath caught at how ethereal he looked in the moment. The blackout curtains that were necessary for their work schedules were opened wide to where he was silhouetted in moonlight. His eyes were wide in what looked like wonder.

“Babe?” he asked again, wondering what caused that look.

“It’s snowing.”

"Huh?”

“It’s snowing, Ty.” His voice was filled with disbelief, so clear that TK couldn’t help but throw the comforter off of him and move to join him by the large window, shivering at the air that hit his exposed skin without the protection of the blankets. When he peered out into the night sky, all he could see was white.

"Well look at that,” he acknowledged, “it sure is.”

The weather report had predicted an unusual cold front to make its way through the state – record breaking lows and blankets of snow that the state hadn’t seen in decades – yet part of TK had been in denial of it actually happening. The thought of winter weather in Texas was close to unfathomable.

His boyfriend, as it seems, had also not expected the winter wonderland outside their window. TK felt a shot of amusement rush through him and quirked an eyebrow.

“You okay?”

“I-“ Carlos cut himself off, hesitating in finishing his thought, “It’s dumb,” he settled on.

“Baby,” TK slid his arms around his waist, placing a soft kiss on the juncture where his shoulder met his neck. He took delight in the goosebumps that broke out across his tan skin that had nothing to do with the cold weather. He placed another kiss there for good measure before lifting his head to try and meet his eyes, only to see Carlos’s trained on the falling snow again. “I’ll never think anything you feel is stupid.”

It took a moment, but he eventually turned and looked at him. “It’s just…I’ve never seen snow before.”

He couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows at that. “Really?”

Carlos nodded his head before lightly shrugging his shoulders. His fingers traced the dimples on TK’s lower back, almost absently, from where he had returned his embrace.

“I’ve never really left Texas,” he murmured softly.

“No?” TK responded just as quietly, sensing something in his voice that indicated maybe this was about more than just the snow falling outside. Carlos shook his head in response. “How come?”

“All my family is here or right across the border,” he explained simply, taking a moment to find the right words. “My parents aren’t big travelers; vacations weren’t really a thing in my house growing up. I stayed in-state for school and then immediately enrolled in the academy. I’ve never really had the time to go somewhere else, and I mean, snow isn’t really a thing in Texas. Plus I-“ he cut himself off again. TK flexed his arms, encouraging him without speaking to continue his thought process. “I never had someone I’d want to travel with, before. To experience something like this.”

The words sat between them for a moment, before TK asked, almost hesitantly, “And now?”

The smile Carlos gave him was little more than a quirk of his lips, yet it still took his breath away.

“I’d go anywhere with you, Tyler Kennedy.”

The declaration settled onto him like a blanket, and suddenly, TK knew what he had to do.

He pecked his lips before detangling their bodies. “I know the first place to start. Grab a sweatshirt.”

“What?”

“Let’s go, get dressed!” TK was already pulling a hoodie over his head. Carlos must have decided to just go with it, because by the time TK was finished putting socks on, Carlos was fully clothed as well.

He couldn’t resist placing another kiss on the lips, lingering for a moment this time. He never got tired of feeling Carlos’s lips against his. He was still grinning when he pulled away.

“Come on.”

He pulled his boyfriend out of the room and down the stairs, his excitement growing with every step. They paused long enough to pull on shoes they hadn’t bothered to move from where they were toed off by the door. It wasn’t until TK was flipping the deadbolt that Carlos realized what was happening.

“Wait, babe, what are you-“ but TK had already thrown the door open and a blast of cold air entered the home. He breathed it in deeply, relishing in the ice that settled in his lungs.

He didn’t miss New York, not really, but he did sometimes miss the cold that was associated with it in the winter months.

“You said you’ve never seen snow before.” TK explained like it made all the sense in the world. “That means you’ve never _felt_ the snow, either. Come on.”

He held out his hand expectantly. Carlos didn’t take it right away, probably weighing the pros and cons of the situation, and TK softened.

“Trust me.”

Those seemed to be the magic words. The hesitancy left his face, and he tangled his fingers with TK’s. He squeezed them gently as he allowed himself to be pulled outside. TK didn’t let them stop on the porch of the steps. Instead, he kept moving until they were in the middle of the snow-covered yard. He could feel the snow seeping into his socks through his tennis shoes, the material quickly becoming wet. But it was easy to ignore, choosing instead to focus on the look on his boyfriend’s face.

Carlos looked almost bewildered by his surroundings. After sweeping his eyes across the lawn blanketed in white, he looked up, watching as the snow fell down around him. When a flake landed directly on the tip of his nose, Carlos let out a joyous laugh.

TK wished he would have brought his phone to document the moment, but he knew this image would be burned into his brain forever; he had his head tilted back, his eyes fluttered shut as he focused on his other senses.

“It’s beautiful.”

“You sure are.”

The words caused Carlos’s eyes to open and land on his, and TK couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him at the look of disbelief on his face. “What?” he shrugged, “you are.”

“You’re a dork,” Carlos huffed.

“I’m _your_ dork.”

Carlos shook his hand, fond exasperation all over his face as he tilted his head back up to look at the falling snow.

TK stood in silence with him for a few long moments, simply watching him take it all in. It was a sight to behold, watching someone experience something as simple as snow for the first time. It was always something that he took for granted growing up, choosing to grumble about the inconvenience it often brought as a first responder, despite how normal an occurrence it was in New York. It reminded him that despite how similar they were in a lot of ways, their upbringings were so, _so_ different. If anything, it made him appreciate this moment that much more – made him appreciate this _man_ so much more.

Carlos eventually broke the silence, releasing a deep breath and smiling at the cloud of air that formed in front of him before speaking.

"You know, there’s something else I’ve always wanted to try.”

“Sex in the snow?”

Carlos snorted in response, rolling his eyes. “Not quite. It is physical, though. And I hear it can get quite _wet_.”

He did his best to ignore the flare of heat in his belly that the words caused, instead focusing on the mischievous glint that couldn’t be missed in Carlos’s eyes. “What?”

“Snowball fight.”

TK’s eyes widened and he took a step back. Before he could do much more than that, Carlos was leaning down and scooping up snow. He didn’t bother forming it into a shape before chucking it at him. TK let out a shout when he didn’t duck quick enough and it hit him right in the face.

“Carlos!”

His shock gave the man in question enough time to get another handful, and TK sputtered when it hit him again.

“Oh, it is _so on_.”

And so they lost themselves in the moment, flinging snow and chasing one another through the front yard, laughter lighting up the night sky. It was after midnight and the temperatures were near freezing, yet it slowed neither of them down. When at last Carlos caught TK around the waist, hauling his body flush against his, they were both breathless and wet, fingers numb and cheeks red and hurting, not from the cold, but from the wide smiles they couldn’t tamper down.

TK couldn’t remember a moment he had felt such happiness.

“So? What do you think?” he asked in curiosity.

“I think…that I love you.”

TK laughed, pressing their lips together. He let their breathes mix and noses touch even after he pulled away. “I love you too.”

They stood there, arms wrapped around one another as the snow continued to fall freely around them, swaying back and forth as the wind blew. Only a few moments had passed before they both started shivering – their time outside finally catching up with them.

“I also think that it’s freezing, and maybe we should go inside.”

TK hummed his agreement before another thought hit him.

“You know what else you should experience with your first snowfall?”

"What’s that?”

The smirk that tugged at his lips was accompanied by a playful quirk of his eyebrows. “A steaming hot bubble bath after playing outside in it.”

“Any chance it can be a bubble bath for two?”

TK leant forward, placing one more kiss against his lips before taking a step back and interlacing their fingers to begin tugging him back toward the house. “I think that can be arranged.”

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews and kudos mean the world.


End file.
